Win an Audio Rack from Red Couch Design!

[9f9c7z]

Caveat emptor whenever buying anything online from a website with no contact info for the business, no address, no location, no names, no company info associated with the website registration, no shipping info, no return policy, no warranty info, only a shopping cart and a phone number…but no time zone listed and no hours of operation for the phone. Neither the privacy policy nor the site’s terms & conditions appear legit; they certainly don’t measure up to the legalese normally used by legitimate businesses.

If Red Couch Design is a serious business entity, it has gone to great lengths to remain invisible, almost secretive. I have never seen anything like this before for a bona fide business.

Presuming Red Couch wants a serious presents in the audio/video furniture market and will take steps to present themselves as such, they will still need to get over the hump of their product getting lost in the vast pool of look-alike metal & glass products available from companies that have a well established presents and name recognition.

What I would like to see: something fresh and new, a design that isn’t the same-ol’ same-ol’ metal and glass dust catcher. Real wood accents would go a long way to warm the coldness of the metal/glass construction. Modular is good if it doesn’t appear as such. An audio rack based on the standard 1-3/4 inch rack mount spacing, but not necessarily for rack mounted equipment, with optional wood doors, draws, and shelves. Example: the Spider component stands are modular and have set themselves apart from the masses, but they don’t have door or drawers for cds/dvds.

EDIT: I am not interested in the giveaway.

 

[RonK]

While the rack pictured doesn't seem to fit this, (but would still make a great rack to add in my equipment closet!) I like to look at racks that allow for adjusting the spacing between shelves, especially without affecting the other shelves around them. Equipment changes, and the new piece is quite often a different height than the old piece!

Ron

 

[randymoe]

Storage

Something I am still in dire need of...
rather than piles of DVD's spilling everywhere while I search for the one I am looking for...

 

[eb1]

Options are Key

Start with good materials and a solid core design, similar to the unit pictured, but offer variations in scale (e.g., large, small), appearance/color (e.g., euro metallic light/dark finish, wood light/dark finish), stand-to-floor interface (e.g., wheels, pointed tips, rubber feet, felt bottoms). Also provide a variety of complementary display monitor stands/mounts, speaker stands/mounts, gear storage drawers, etc. The object being, of course, to allow maximum flexibility for the end-user.

 

[Bryce_H]

For my living room I currently have an old 3 shelf BDI rack. Works well but my Yamaha DSP-A3090 doesn't really fit in it. Like the cherry look and glass shelves, but it would be nice if it were deeper and had better cable management (this is only a single post in the back).

In the dedicated home theater in the basement I built a custom component closet, but spent a fair amount of time looking at what I could get for adjustable shelving racks (like computer server racks). Problem was nothing was the right size, so I custom cut the wood and bought a jig for shelf pegs. Works good except I mismeasured one side and had to shim it up so the shelve are level.

 

[soundjunkie]

If I could wave the wand...

I guess I would have to say the most important aspect of the rack would have to "soundness". Wheather the shelves were glass or MDF, or maybe even an exotic material like carbon fiber, vibrations would have to be controlled. Teac wood structure, with suspension arms utilizing a dampening system that would negate esentially all vibrations would be a beauty to me. Added would be hidden pathway for wiring to keep everything neat and organized. Oh, I could keep dreaming up all kinds of designs I'm sure...

Just let me know when mine would be available!!

 

[mmmmcheese]

I would for sure like to see something with cable managment and different feet for diff. surfaces (Wood floors, carpet, tile, and w/e else). Also some ones that are more geared towards the entry level consumers. (I think that 200 bucks is outrageous for an audio rack) I dont need the vibration defending stuff anyway because I probably won't notice a diference between one with it or some Wall-Mart cheapie.

Cosmetically I think that racks with glass and metal look really cool.

EDIT: I guess now that I looked up some racks online that 200-300 bucks isn't a bad deal at all compared to ones at target or other places.

 

[Grotsnag]

Need something that fits everything.

I need racks that match, and actually fit all types of media. DVD's, CD's, Cassettes, and yes even LP's. As for color, dark woodtone and glass is nice.

 

[Thunder18]

Tempered glass, 4-5 shelves with a couple with 11-13" height for hot-running receivers/amplifiers. Standard width and simple cord management. Preferably open. No doors, basic black or perhaps Piano black lacquer finish!

 

[hopjohn]

The ideal rack

My ideal rack would consist of 5-6 shelves. Each shelf with at least 60 lbs of weight capacity, and more for the top or bottom. All middle shelves would need a wide range of height adjustabilty. Standard 19" widths 22" depth. Three column support for excellent ventilation. Front supports could have multiple slide in sleeves (think dishwasher) that could be in a variety of wood grains or solids for up to 10 different finishes to match any decor. Wire management would consist of 3 columns of 2" diameter hooks mounted horizontally on the back of the rear column support. The rear support would have 6 oval slits (not round) to feed cables to the hooks. To top it off I would have a u shaped molded back that slid down the height of the rack in grooved joints on the rear column. The back would have a nice hollow allowing it to go behind the hooks. The back would have several punch outs for getting cords going to a power or video source out, but all cables going from one to shelf to the next would be completely concealed.

 

[BMXTRIX]

Alright, this is my #1 pet peeve...

There are NOT enough short stack racks out there. The one listed is one of the few that I have seen, but while I think it looks great, how do I keep my 18 month old away from an open design like that?!?

There simply are not enough fairly priced smaller racks. It is like, once they drop below 3 feet, they suddenly all become WIDE enough to put a 400 pound TV on top of. 8" is almost a ridiculous amount of space. If I have a ton of 8" thick equipment, then it is clearly not enough space in the rack if it is a small rack.

If it is a small rack, I could use 4 or 5 shelves at least, but I only need one big one for my A/V receiver - think RX-V2500 or AVR-3805, then a few inches for a DVD player and maybe 5 for a HD cable box/DSS. A few more maybe for a Monster Power center.

I do not need the rack to be more than 19 inches wide. Heck, it would be preferable if it was designed so that rack rail could be added... 19" dead on! Extra width is pretty much wasted as there are almost no components that will not fit within the confines of a Middle Atlantic Rack.

I just want to see a few more 30" or so racks that are completely enclosed, but have decent ventilation and are designed to have actual components in them. Something I can lock so my son won't mess it up.

Alright - rant off. I did go with a Wood Technology piece, and had to modify it so I could put rack rail into it, and it isn't an exact rack spacing height... and the front door is glass, which isn't the best for ventilation. But, it worked for me. I just want to see more - it took me about 3 hours of Google to find, and it was the ONLY thing I found.

 

[El Toro]

This stand looks nice, and I like the layout of the shelving. It looks solid with enough space for venting. I just wonder if the wire management will handle some 10 gauge twisted wire or not.

 

[mbaylor]

I prefer a rack that is wide open as well. Better heat dissipation for hot amps. I also like a minimilistic feel. Nothing too fancy, just a really nice solid rack.

 

[Mr. Lamb Fries]

right now Ive got an Ikia tv stand. Its got my 36"tv and my HK 7200 (amongst other equipment) on it. after a few months I can already see the bow in the shelves. Really an eyesore but I dont plan on upgrading until I move into my house in about three months. when I get in there I plan on getting a projector with a screen. Once that happens I will decide what type of rack I want. If I had to decide right now I would pick black posts with glass shelves (similar to the one in gene's post as attached thumbnail).. I love the idea of displaying your equipment. I would need a STRONG rack with adjustible & removable shelves that will allow good ventalation for my HK 7200. Right now I would like 4 shelves but would like to be able to add shelving in the future as I add components.
Suggestions,
1...Maybe stackable? set up with an interlocking systew so you can add shelves to the top of it as you increase components to your system.
2...Maybe integrate some tubing in the back so you can run your wires and keep them hidden?

 

[Jaycan]

Hard to find furniture grade, low slung, wide open rack at reasonable price to house components below fixed wall screen.

 

[L-Jay]

A rack needs to be sturdy, able to hold about 50 or 60 pounds per shelf, as must well built equipment is heavy. Or at least maybe the bottom shelves should be able to hold this much weight. Glass shelves are a must for me, as well as a nice contemporary look to match my equipment and TV. The ability to hide wires is a must also. Throw in adjustability and we're good to go.

 

[zoom3]

I do not have a rack right now but I would like to get one, I'm looking at some with about 5 glass shelves and would like to spend less than 200 dollars.

 

[Tomorrow]

rack contest

A/V racks really need to consider today's equipment when a design is contemplated. Needed is modularity, strength for the heavier equipment, good cable management, and definitely material design that reflects good taste and modern good looks. Handsome wood, like oak is timeless and desirable. Black metal and glass is standard, but perhaps also timeless.

I'd really love to win one of these racks as I have no room in my current one for any new equipment.

Good cheer.

 

[Moonraker]

The future of A/V racks - positive ventilation

Alright, here's my idea for the future of A/V racks. It would need to be adjustable with at least 5 spaces. The front trim edges would be removable / replaceable and sold in a variety of finishes.

What about ventilation? ahh.. positive ventilation would be achieved by the air flow generators installed on either sides of the compartments. Think of it as a cross between an A/V rack and the ionic breeze filter... the perfect marriage to collect dust before it reaches your components and get positive airflow around your components... I'm a genius... I need to go patent this.

Any manufacturers that would like to make this rack may contact me!!

 

[AFJumper03]

I love the audio racks that are open and use glass designs. I just think they look very classy and they actually add something to the room. Designs like this make the rack an actual piece of furnature that looks great rather than just a piece of equipment